9K111 Fagot

The 9K111 Fagot (Russian: 9K111 «Фагот»; English meaning of the word: "bassoon") is a second-generation tube-launched SACLOS wire-guided anti-tank missile system of the Soviet Union for use from ground or vehicle mounts. The 9K111 Fagot missile system was developed by the Tula KBP Design Bureau for Instrument Building. "9M111" is the GRAU designation of the missile. Its NATO reporting name is AT-4 Spigot.

Development

The 9K111 Fagot was developed by the Tula Machinery Design Bureau (Tula KBP). Development began in 1962 with the aim of producing the next generation of SACLOS ATGMs for use in both the man portable role and the tank destroyer role. The 9K111 Fagot was developed alongside the 9M113 Konkurs; both missiles use similar technology – only differing in size – and can use the same launchers.

The missile entered service in 1970.

History

The anti-tank platoon of a Soviet BTR equipped motor rifle battalion had two (sometimes three) ATGM squads, each with two 9K111 Fagot teams. The team consisted of three men – the gunner carries the 9P135 launcher and tripod as a back pack – the other two men each carry two launch tubes. The men also carry assault rifles, but do not carry an RPG – because, unlike the earlier missiles, there is only a small deadzone within which the missile cannot engage the target. Besides the four missiles carried by each team, each squad would normally have an extra eight missiles carried in their transport, usually a BTR. It can also be deployed from the BMP-1P, BMD-1P, BTR-D and UAZ-469.

Semi-automatic command to line of sight

Semi-automatic command to line of sight (SACLOS) is a method of missile command guidance. In SACLOS, the operator has to continually point a sighting device at the target while the missile is in flight. Electronics in the sighting device and/or the missile then guide it to the target.

SACLOS devices commonly work using one of these methods: wire-guided, or radio-guided, or beam-riding.

Wire and radio-guided SACLOS

With wire- and radio-guided SACLOS, the sighting device can calculate the angular difference in direction from the missile position to the target location. It can then give electronic instructions to the missile that correct its flight path so it is flying along a straight line from the sighting device to the target. Most of antitank SACLOS systems such as Milan and TOW use a strobe or flare (visible, infrared (IR) or ultraviolet (UV) light) in the tail of the missile with an appropriate sensor on the firing post, to track the missile's flight path. The launching station incorporates a tracking camera with two lenses. A wide field of view lens that locates and "gathers" the missile near the center of the gunners line of sight immediately after launch, and a narrow view lens with automatic zoom that accomplishes the fine tracking adjustments. In most configurations, the narrow field camera utilizes electronics that translate the brightest spot in the view – the flare or strobe of the missile – into an electrical impulse. This impulse changes as the missile leaves the center of the field of view, and the electronics automatically apply a correction instruction in the opposite direction of the change to re-center the missile.

Anti-tank missile

An anti-tank missile (ATM), anti-tank guided missile (ATGM), anti-tank guided weapon (ATGW) or anti-armor guided weapon, is a guided missile primarily designed to hit and destroy heavily armored military vehicles.

ATGMs range in size from shoulder-launched weapons, which can be transported by a single soldier, to larger tripod-mounted weapons, which require a squad or team to transport and fire, to vehicle and aircraft mounted missile systems.

The introduction to the modern battlefield of smaller, man-portable ATGMs with larger warheads has given infantry the ability to defeat light and medium tanks at great ranges, though main battle tanks (MBTs) using composite and reactive armors have proven to be resistant to smaller ATGMs. Earlier infantry anti-tank weapons, such as anti-tank rifles, anti-tank rockets and magnetic anti-tank mines, had limited armor-penetration abilities and/or required a soldier to approach the target closely.

History

The earliest anti-tank missiles to see combat were the German Ruhrstahl X-7 "Rotkäppchen" (little red riding hood) wire guided missile and the Hungarian 44M ""Buzogányvető"" un-guided rocket launcher of World War II.

Guided Missile

Guided Missile was a London-based independent record label set up by Paul Kearney in 1994, and active until the early 2000s. Guided Missile Records focused on releases by underground indie bands through the late 1990s, and Guided Missile continues to the present day as an events promoter, at venues such as The Lexington and, until closure, the Buffalo Bar.

A series of 'tribute' records in the early 2000s culminated in a minor UK chart hit by Diff'rent Darkness in 2003.

Guided Missile has been acclaimed as an inspiration for current UK DIY labels such as Upset the Rhythm.

Artists

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ARMA 3

ARMA 3 is an open-world military tactical shooter video game developed by Czech studio Bohemia Interactive for Microsoft Windows. It was released on September 12, 2013.ARMA 3's storyline takes place in the mid-2030s during the fictional Operation Magnitude, a military operation launched by NATO forces fighting in Europe against "Eastern armies" referred to as CSAT (Canton-Protocol Strategic Alliance Treaty) led by a resurgent Iran with a coalition of other Middle Eastern and Asian nations.

Set more than 25 years after the events of ARMA 2, in 2035, NATO forces deployed to islands of the Aegean Sea are trying to hold off a massive CSAT's offensive from the east. During the singleplayer campaign, the player takes on the role of a US Army soldier, Corporal Ben Kerry. Initially, the player must survive on his own after friendly forces are defeated in a failed NATO operation. During the campaign, the player will face everything from lone wolf infiltration missions to the commanding of large scale armored operations. The player will be able to choose different objectives and weaponry (such as UAVs, artillery, and air support) according to their play style.